Robin's Thought At The End
by Glimare
Summary: One shot: as Robin follows Slade down a winding trail to find Raven, his thoughts drift and worries come to mind. How is... he... Set at end of season 4


**Disclaimer:** I only wished I owned teen titans. DC gets all the good stuff.

Was watching 'The End' eps tonight and got this idea in my head. What was Robin thinking when the whole earth was changed into stone people? He saw them, touched them. What was he thinking? I bet he was worried about more than just his friends and teammates. Kinda vague on who is who since it's all 'He's' here. Cast simply is Robin, Slade, and the man always revered to but never named in the show.

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><p><strong>Robin's Thoughts at The End<strong>

As he walked down the endless staircases behind the man he hated and feared most, his mind wandered. He tried hard not to let his mind drift, to focus on Raven and on making sure his guide didn't lead him astray, but it just happened.

Over and over again, he remembered the stone people. The innocent civilians who didn't know about the personal war their heroes were fighting. The people they swore to protect, and failed because they couldn't even protect one of their own. The casualties of this war.

There were too many questions flying through his head. If this was the end of the world, then that meant they were the only people left in the world. If Raven wasn't alive, then Starfire was the only woman left on Earth. He was the only normal man left. If they really were the last, then Trigon would stop at nothing to destroy them.

And what about…

He shook his head. No. He couldn't think about them. He couldn't think about those he cared about most before coming to Jump. He couldn't think about what might have happened to his second home, his second family. He couldn't think about him. He had to focus. He had to…

His mind drifted once again, remembering the graves. Not just his parents, but also that man's loved ones. He remembered the large empty house on the outskirts of the dark city. He remembered the cave and all the toys inside it. Most of all, he remembered him. Even now he could see that grumpy, brooding, overprotective, control freak of a man towering over him. He could even smell him: sweat, sulfur, stone, and a raging heat.

No that was the smell of the caverns he was in. Maybe even himself and that creep in front of him. He had to focus!

But it was hard to focus when the end of the world meant the end of that man too. That man, that infuriating man who could drive him nuts in a moment! That man he ran out on after a long series of arguments, exploding into one demanding independence. That man…

Who took him in and gave him hope again. That one man who gave him a path to follow, who let him fly free in the night sky. The one who helped him back onto his feet after each devastating incident in his life. Who comforted him when he was scared or in pain. Who saved him time and time again, who found him when he was taken or lost. The one he trusted more than anyone, the one he wanted to make proud more than anything.

Was he gone too? That invincible being who could sucker punch Superman and live? The one who faced demons and monsters on a daily basis and always came home with only a few scratches? The one who defied all logic and chaos with his own unbelievable logic? The one who ran off of a few hours of sleep and a tankard of coffee?

The one he should have called father? Even once?

Again he shook his head, trying to ignore the pain he felt at the thought. If he was gone, was any of this worth it? Could he be a hero anymore? What was the point of being Robin anymore if there was no Batman? What was the point of any of this?

Then he remembered what that man taught him. Not just once but constantly. With every night he went out, with every lesson during the day. Nearly with every breath the man made.

Never give up. The mission is never over. There is always something more you can do.

He could almost hear that man's words now. That man everyone thought was dark and broody, the scariest hero in existence. People thought he, this protégé, was the one with all the hope. They didn't know his hope came from this man. Because of this man.

Even with the fear and dread rushing through him at this moment, thinking about his old home and those he cared for, of the older men who guided him, of the people he loved and protected, he knew they wouldn't want him to lose hope. They wouldn't want him to give up the fight just because it seemed hopeless. He wouldn't stand for it.

A smirk came to his face as he thought of that man again. For the millionth time, he was glad the man didn't have powers, especially mind reading. If he ever knew what he felt at that point, that guy would have made him clean all the cars. And the penny. And the dinosaur. Pretty much the whole cave. Probably with a toothbrush. He always did come up with the strangest punishments. Lot better than the ones their caretaker gave out at least. That man did interesting ones, while the older gentleman gave the standard corporal punishments.

At least there wouldn't be any of those anymore. Quickly he shook that thought from his mind. He meant it as in he grew up and didn't have to take them anymore. Not as in…

He shook his head again. Had to focus. He couldn't give up. If he found Raven, there might be a way to bring everybody back. To bring him back. If Raven really was alive, if they beat Trigon and saved the world, everything could to back to how it once was, right? People turned to stone could be flesh and blood again, right?

_Please let that be the case. Please!_ He thought desperately. He didn't want to lose another father. Didn't matter if they didn't talk these days. He still cared. The guy could be a real jerk, but he was also was kinder than any other man on the planet. Why else did he, the overprotective control freak, let him live on his own on the other side of the country? And that was exactly why he kept his identity secret, for his sake.

That man had to be okay. When he finds Raven, he'll find a way to save everyone, to bring everyone back. To bring him back.

"You're falling behind Robin," the real jerk called back to him. "Something troubling you?"

For a moment he thought of saying nothing was, then he smirked and answered, like he was back in Gotham. "Oh you know, the usual. Homework, girls, interdimensional demons, end of the world, your breath. Nothing too out of the ordinary."

"Hm. Interesting. Humor in the face of immanent death. How did that last teacher of yours take it?" His voice dripped with sarcasm, bating him into decking his greatest foe.

But it only made him smirk in amusement, gaining more hope as he thought on the man. "With a smile. Be glad you didn't find me first. You missed the 'holy' jokes. And the pranks.

"Just know one thing," he warned the definition of evil before him. "If he ever finds you, you're a dead man. If you tried that apprentice stunt when I was back in Gotham, you wouldn't be standing today."

"But it's the end of the world Robin." A sickening cruel tone entered his voice, pleased beyond all measure. "He's long past gone."

"He'll come back," he stated flatly, still silently praying for this. "He's impossible to beat. No one can stop him. Not you, not Trigon, and definitely not the end of the world. And once we have Raven back, once we take down Trigon, it's back to normal, for all of us. So bite me zombie man."

That evil would have responded but he lost his footing in a tremor and sled down the side of the hill. He followed after, he still needed a guide after all. And whether he liked it or not, this evil thing who tried and failed to replace that man, was the best chance he had in finding Raven.

Finally his thoughts were clear. Find Raven. Take down Trigon. Save the world. Send Batman a letter, or something. At least say 'hi, glad you're not dead'. Something like that.

Or maybe he'd just let things be as they were right then and avoid that awkward moment entirely. Yeah right.

END

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><p>AN: Yeah, i think Robin was worried about Bruce. I mean, next to your friends and immediate danger around you, the next thing you think about is your family. Seeing all those stone people would scare a person, and if the range of this baddy's power is the whole world... well, justice league would have responded if they could, but they couldn't. Simple as that. And we all know Rob's the League's favorite right? ;D

Was it too vague? I really hope you could figure out which he I was talking about. It makes sense in my head, but that's my head. =/ tell my what you think.


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